Andover Skills Training Fund

Test Valley Borough Council has secured £0.5m to improve skills in Andover as part of the planning agreement for Andover Business Park. The Council is using this sum to encourage Andover businesses employing up to 100 persons to offer skills training to Andover residents who live within the SP10 postcode area also including Augusta Park, Picket Piece/ Locksbridge Park & Picket Twenty. Please see Map attachment for clear definition. It is hoped that these businesses will develop to offer more jobs.

Some applications have been received which describe the purpose of the training as “to upgrade skills.” Such ambiguity could allow unlimited future applications for the same training and therefore is incapable of monitoring. Therefore applications for unaccredited training should define the pre-training benchmark and post training capability to ensure that any subsequent applications result in a definable improvement.

The eligibility criteria should guide applications to meet the spirit of the Fund but ultimately all applications will be at the Council’s discretion.

From 1 April 2017 the Andover Skills Training Fund Grant will be amended to offer: the first £500 of any eligible training (from £1,000) and 50% of the balance of any training cost up to £5000 (from £10,000).

The reasons for these changes are:

As the Council is in the last tranche of fund, with no replacement funding, it would seem prudent to maximise the use of the remaining fund among Andover residents and businesses;

The Government’s new policy to increase the number of apprentices and introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy is a further resource to help businesses with skills training.
For further information please contact: Economic Development Officer, Test Valley Borough Council, Beech Hurst, Weyhill Road, Andover, Hampshire SP10 3AJ or dgleave@testvalley.gov.uk

Payment will be made after the training has been undertaken on receipt of an invoice.

Organisation must be:
• A SME (up to 250 employees)
• Located within the Enterprise M3 LEP ie the northern half of Test Valley – above Stockbridge and including Andover- (businesses can use the postcode checker on our neighbouring LEP’s Growth Hub to see which LEP they are in.
• In one of the following business sectors: ICT & Digital Media; Pharmaceuticals; Aerospace & Defence; Professional Business ; 5G telecommunications/satellite technologies; Cyber security; Advanced materials & nano-technology; Photonics; Advanced Aerospace/ Automotive Manufacturing; Animal health;Computer Games and Entertainment Technologies; Construction; Health & Social Care; Tourism/ Retail.
For further information please see the ESF Training leaflet attached below.

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